Improved binding attachm-ent to reapers



A. F. FRENCH.

Grain Binder Patented March 23, 1858.

W/TKESSES.'

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Specification forming part of Letters Patent N o. B?, dated March 23, 1858. v

To all 'whom it may concern: Y Be it known that I, AARON F. FRENCH, of

Franklin, inthe county of Fran klin and State of Vermont, have invented a new and Improved Binding Attachment to be applied to Rea-pers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same,

vreference being had to the annexed drawings,

making part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a longitudinal vertical and cen- .Y

tral section of my improvement. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section of the same, taken in the lline at' .fr of Fig. 1. Figu 3 is a plan or top view of the same..

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

This inventionl consists in the emplymll or use of a revolving rake, stationary curved rods, band-holders, and a band-adjuster, arranged as hereinafter shown, whereby the grain may, by an attendant, be bound as rap-v idly as it is cut by the reapingmachineito which the device.A is attached.

To enable others skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invention, I will now .proceed to describe it, and the manner iu which it is operated.

A represents a shaft, which is placed ill-snitable bearings a a,'secured to a platform, B. This shaft has a crank, G, at one end, and has curved teeth b attached to it, said teeth being of semicircular or an approximate form, as clearly shown in Fig. 1.

D represents curved and beht.- metal rods, which are attached to the platform B at such distances apart as to allow the teeth b to pass between them. These rods are so bent as to I form upright portions c at each end, which Fis a treadle-frame attached to the platform B, the fulcrum being at g. The inner end of this frame is connected to a bar, G, the ends nof which have eyes or guides h attached, to which eyes are tted and allowed to work loosely on the vertical portions o, at the outer ends of thero'ds D. The centralportion of the bar G 4is bent downward at right angles with the other part, forming a jog or loop, as shown at t, in Figs. 1 and 2'; and a bar, i, is attached to the bottom of the loop, said bar having two elastic and bent plates,- kk, attached to it atfo'pposite sides. These plates k should b e formed of steel properly tempered. Their upper ends are notched to receive the band which passes around the gavel'and, when properly secured, forms the sheaf. The upper pa'rt of the plates k, just below their ends, are bent outward, as shown at Z l, and theyare then bent inward, as shown at m m, and again bent outward, as shown at n n. See' Fig. 1.

H is a rod or bar,`which is fitted in a bearing,

o, attached to the twov central rods, the rod H being allowed to slide freely back and forth, and alsoturn in said bearing. The inner end of said rod or bar4 is hooked or bent at right angles withthe other part, aud is notchedto form a claw, p, as shown in Fig. 3

I is atriangular bar, which is placed between the ltwostrips la la, and is supported by a rod, g.

The operation is as follows: The platform B is soconnected with a reaper as to receive the grain ,therefrom by means of an endless apron,

the grain being deposited in the receptacle c. When a sufficient quantity of grain is deposited therein, the attendant turns the shaft A one-half of a revolution, 'andthe grain i -c is carried around by the teeth b of the l sh, ft A, and is deposited in the receptacle f. The attendant, previous to the turning of the shaft A, twists a band of straw, a", and places itin the notches at the upper ends of the plates 7a It; and when the grain is turned into the receptacle f the band a* and the strips k k are just below it. The attendant then depresses the outer end of the lever-frame F, and the strips lc k are elevated; and as they rise they 'are distended by the bar I, and the upper bent portionsof the stripswill encompass the grain in f, the strips closing as their upper ends passy above the grain, and consequently clasping it, and bring th'etwo ends of the band a* in conv tact, as shown clearly in Fig. 1 in blue color.

- The operator then twists slightly the en of the band a", and turns the rod or bar H so that the claw p will tuck the ends of the band underneath its other portion which encompasses 'the grain f. The bar G has springsrbx bt connected with it, said springs having a tendency to keep the strips k k depressed, and consequently, when the foot is withdrawn from th\=;Ale'ver-frame,y drawing down tbe strips k.'

Wbe the-straw in f is bound, tbe strips k are alowed to descend, the bound grain is with'- drawn from f, and-T the revolution of shaft A completed, so as to again supply the'receptacle f from the receptacle e, the grain in e' accumulating in sufficient quantity to' formV a sheaf while the quantity that was previously conveyed from it is being bound.

This invention has been practically tested,

and operates' well;. It may be constructed and applied to reapers at a s mall cost, and will greatly facilitate the harvesting4 of grain.

, Having thusdesoribed myinvention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isy The revolving rake formed of the' curved teeth b attached to the shaft A, the rods D, curved as shown,'so as to form the receptacles' e-f, and the elastic strips 7c k, connected with the lever-frame F, the above parts being combined and arranged to operate substantially as shown, with or without the rod or bar, for the purpose' set forth. 1

AARON F. FRENCH.

Witnesses:

A. J. SAMSON,

WM. BRmGEsL 

